story5564.xml

story5564.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-11

The day started out much like my other days; I was rushed all morning and arrived on the Hollins University campus anticipating a long day of studying. I had gone to Eastnor, a house on campus that had been converted into offices and study space for adult, non-traditional students. As usual, I was working on a project on the computer when I heard one of the office staff's radios blaring the news that an airplane had flown into the World Trade Center. I rushed to where the radio was as if it would make the news more believable and listened, stunned and horrified. I ran to tell my friend and we listened together. We called our parents and our husbands and checked on our children.
At first it was not clear if it was intentional, then as we watched MSN Online News, we saw the second plane fly directly into the second tower and knew the horrific truth. Someone, somewhere, had deliberately attacked our country. We sat together as a campus community in our chapel, Muslim, Jewish, Christian and prayed and cried together. Never beore in our lives had war touched us so intimately.
Watching the towers burn, I knew that so many innocent people had lost their lives. I sat watching tv coverage all day and cried and cried. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I read plea after plea on the internet for loved ones.
A year later, the tears came again as I drove to school. Flags were flying at half-mast, ribbons streamed from cars. How true when it was said that 9-11 changed us. It did. We will remember New York, the Pentagon and Pennsylvania forever on this date. We will remember families, rescue workers, and medical personnel. We will tell our children about national pride, of doing the right thing,and of the importance of remembering. We will pray for the souls of those gone before us, and we will hope for peace.